Arizona

This weekend has been a departure from the normal routine around here. Marc and Brett are in Arizona at a martial arts camp. They have looked forward to it for two years. The big question looming over us since Marc's diagnosis has been - would he get to go to camp? The answer was yes. He was so excited. He and Brett flew to Phoenix on Wednesday.

Not only has this been an incredible experience for he and Brett to enjoy together, it has been a chance for him to get away from the daily reminder that he is dealing with cancer treatments. He hasn't had to sit at home while the rest of us go off to school and/or work. More details on the trip when they get home and tell us all their stories.

Rose and I have been working our tails off at home. Last week, I worked a bit extra at school and Rose caught up on some homework from when she stayed home sick on Monday. By the end of the week, Rose was feeling awful again. I took her to the dr. on Friday. He didn't think she had strep, but swabbed her anyway when I mentioned that I wanted to get her checked so if it was strep she could begin treatment and not be contagious by the time Marc got home on Tuesday. We'll hear Monday. He did the longer lab test so it would be more reliable. She's feeling better already so I'm sure it isn't strep.

I have cleared out the office - with the help of Donna. Steph drove down the gorge and picked her up. She and Dick have been spending time near Goldendale. Donna spent the last two days here with us. She helped me peel wallpaper border out of the old office, organize the office area in the loft, and was just a general all around adviser for what needed to be kept and what could be pitched. I have five grocery bags of papers for recycling! We went to IKEA and got some great organizing boxes to put on the bookshelves to sort all the mail into (one for each family member plus a couple extra) and some magazine boxes for magazines and specialty printer paper and labels. We also have a big box for things to shred - Rose's new way of making an extra buck or two. We even found a map of Priest Lake that I tacked up over the computer.

When Brett gets back he'll help me paint the office and move all his stuff in there. We decided that one of the privileges of turning 16 was to have the biggest room. He'll also get to have the TV with his game system in his room. No cable, but he'll have a DVD/VCR. Rose is pretty ticked. Bummer to be younger sometimes. It all started when we moved the music stuff into the living room. We ended up moving the couch we had here in the loft downstairs so there wasn't any seating for the tv with the game system. By moving it into his room we have more space in the loft for the exercise equipment and he and Marc have a comfortable place to play games. Besides then they can shut the door and we don't have to listen to it!

We are uncertain what will end up in his old room. It is a the end of the loft and the smallest of the bedrooms. We thought it was the same size as Rose's, but it seems smaller now that his stuff is in there. I have my eye on it for a sewing/guest room. Come visit us so I can have a great reason to make it into a guest room!

Marc's next chemo is Wednesday. His coag numbers have been in range and Sara from the anti-coag clinic has been pleased. That's always a good thing! I'll be posting again as he goes through his next round. September has been rough dealing with finding the right dosage for the anti-coag meds, getting back to school, and the stress of not knowing about this camp. Hopefully October will be routine and smooth sailing.